Latest news with #TheMeidasTouchPodcast
Newsweek
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Is Joe Rogan Losing His Mojo?
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. For those scrolling through the platform formerly known as Twitter—now called X—it's become routine to see clips of Joe Rogan heaping praise on its owner, Elon Musk. "Elon's such a unique character. You can't even put him in the same category as an Einstein, because he's a cultural weirdness," Rogan says in a clip from a January 22 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, resurfaced by an account called Elon Clips, which regularly posts video tributes to the Tesla CEO and X owner. Joe Rogan: Elon's one of the most unique human beings in all of history. 'Elon's such a unique character. You can't even put him in the same category as an Einstein, because he's a cultural weirdness. Who's this guy, making memes, cracking jokes, dunking on people, telling… — ELON CLIPS (@ElonClipsX) April 29, 2025 "Joe Rogan is awesome," Musk replied. "We're lucky to have both of you!" the Elon Clips account responded. But Rogan himself may not be so grateful for Musk's endorsement. While The Joe Rogan Experience remains one of the most popular podcasts in the country, it has faced growing criticism within his own circle of influence, along with a slight but notable decline in audience since November. The shift comes as Rogan's famously free-wheeling conversations have taken a sharper political turn, moving away from the offbeat blend of comedy, psychedelics, mixed martial arts and contrarian brawling that once defined his broad appeal. Fissures in the Manosphere Spotify charts show that Rogan's podcast dropped from its usual top position to second place in January, overtaken by The Shawn Ryan Show. It fell again to third place in February, behind Fall of Civilizations and The MeidasTouch Podcast, before reclaiming second place—this time trailing only comedian Amy Poehler's new show, Good Hang. While Rogan still tallied 51.5 million downloads in February—a 25 percent increase from the previous month—MeidasTouch, a Trump resistance show, surged to 57.5 million downloads, marking a 109 percent spike. Joe Rogan looks on during UFC 276 at T-Mobile Arena on July 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Joe Rogan looks on during UFC 276 at T-Mobile Arena on July 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, metrics tell only part of the story. The deeper fissures are emerging from within Rogan's own circle of recurring guests, a loosely defined cultural clique sometimes referred to as the "Rogansphere." Comedians, commentators and provocateurs who once orbited his show are now increasingly voicing discomfort with its political drift and with Rogan's unwavering admiration for Musk. "He's in over his head on so many topics of great consequence," longtime guest and neuroscientist Sam Harris told his listeners last week on his own podcast. Harris, a fierce critic of President Trump and, more recently, his former friend Musk, has criticized Rogan's pattern of platforming conspiracy theorists and controversial figures without challenging them. "He'll bring someone in to shoot the shit on 'how the Holocaust is not what you think it was'... or he'll talk to someone like Trump or Tucker Carlson, who lie as freely as they breathe, and doesn't push back... It is irresponsible, and it's directly harmful," Harris said. While Rogan's closeness to Trump has drawn criticism, it's his sustained devotion to Musk that is now generating the most friction—even among his allies. Musk has become an increasingly toxic and unpopular figure in public discourse, facing mounting criticism over his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts and erratic behavior. Trump's own administration has started to put distance between itself and Musk in recent weeks, concerned that Musk's unpopularity could alienate the former president's base and undermine broader support. Musk routinely polls even lower than Trump in public opinion surveys. Joe Rogan and Elon Musk in an November 2024 episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience." Joe Rogan and Elon Musk in an November 2024 episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience." The Joe Rogan Experience / YouTube Yet Rogan has not wavered. He continues to call Musk "one of the smartest people alive" and "a super genius that's been fucked with," even as some of his closest friends mock the billionaire publicly. Comedian Tim Dillon called Musk's White House press conference in January "the grossest and cringiest shit anyone has seen for a long time." Shane Gillis, another comedian popular in the so-called "manosphere," described Musk as "psychotic" and "fucking weird" for exaggerating his video game skills. During the taping of a recent Netflix special, Kyle Dunnigan impersonated Musk onstage in a biting parody—the audience laughed, but Rogan sat mostly silent, avoiding eye contact, appearing unwilling to signal disloyalty to the tech mogul. Rogan's alignment with Donald Trump has also created unease among some of his longtime fans. Once celebrated for his role as the curious everyman, Rogan began to shift after hosting Trump in the lead-up to the 2024 election. He went on to publicly endorse the president and later attended his inauguration. At a UFC event earlier this year, Rogan embraced Trump, telling him: "I'm so happy for you, sir." A Broader Identity Crisis If there's one thing last year's election proved, it's how quickly media dynamics can shift. The podcast-industrial complex that helped fuel Trump's rise is now crowded with new voices in a space that Rogan has long dominated. Young men, in particular, appear to be feeling some buyer's remorse about Trump, with new polling suggesting the group is swinging away from the president. A Harvard youth poll released last week told the story. Nearly 60 percent of men aged 18-29 said they disapproved of the president, with 40 percent saying they were worse off than under the Biden administration. As recently as January, 62 percent of that cohort approved of Trump on the economy, according to a different poll from SocialSphere. These shifts point to a broader identity crisis in the manosphere. Rogan rose to prominence by positioning himself as an open-minded host—someone who welcomed guests from across the ideological spectrum, voiced support for both Bernie Sanders and RFK Jr., and veered from MMA commentary to ayahuasca discussions without warning. His appeal was rooted in his authenticity, unpredictability and ideological ambiguity. But as Medium writer George J. Ziogas observed, The Joe Rogan Experience "has started to feel more like a megaphone for Trumpism than a forum for exploration." President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with Joe Rogan during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with Joe Rogan during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. Photo by"He was at his best when he asked questions and didn't seem sure of the answers," Ziogas wrote. "Now he just affirms what he already believes." The shift has not gone unnoticed by his audience. Reddit threads and Discord channels once devoted to parsing episodes now read more like group therapy for disillusioned fans. Some describe Rogan's show as having "lost the plot." Others say they tune in less frequently or skip episodes altogether when they see certain names on the guest list. Rogan has defended his guest choices and denied any bias in his booking process, saying in a recent episode: "I just think I'd like to talk to this person... I brought him on because I want to find out, like, how does one get involved in the whole conspiracy theory business?" But even conservative guests like Douglas Murray have cautioned Rogan about promoting revisionist history and what Murray called "very dangerous" ideas. "I feel you've opened the door to quite a lot of people who now got a big platform, who have been throwing out counter-historical stuff of a very dangerous kind," Murray said to Rogan and the comedian Dave Smith, his other guest, referring to recent episodes featuring Darryl Cooper and Ian Carroll, both accused of spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories. "These guys are not historians; they're not knowledgeable about anything," he added in a clip that went viral as an example of a rare instance of a guest pushing back on Rogan on his own turf. Rogan responded quietly, "I don't think about it that way. I just think, 'I'd like to talk to that person.'" But the discomfort was clear—similar to the now-viral Netflix clip, in which Rogan sat silently as Elon Musk was roasted. In both cases, his reaction was the same.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jeffries: ‘Fair' that Americans are questioning if Trump is ‘actually fit'
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday he thinks it's fair for Americans to question whether President Trump is 'actually fit' to be commander in chief. 'Trump spent the last year and a half questioning the cognitive ability of President Joe Biden, notwithstanding many of the legislative accomplishments that Donald Trump could only wish he got over the finish line,' Jeffries said in an interview on 'The MeidasTouch Podcast.' 'And so, I think it's fair that a lot of Americans across the country that I run into are questioning whether Donald Trump is actually fit, at this point, to be able to carry out the duties of the United States of America, in terms of being the president and the commander in chief,' the Democratic leader continued. Jeffries was responding to host Ben Meiselas's question about whether 'more needs to be discussed' about Trump's cognitive abilities after 100 days in office. Meiselas cited as a basis for his question several examples of seemingly untrue or exaggerated comments Trump has made: from suggesting he's already made 200 trade deals — when, Meiselas said, 'there's not 200 countries' — to 'saying he's having conversations with world leaders, and these conversations are not happening.' Meiselas also pointed to the fact a group of islands inhabited only by penguins and seals was on Trump's tariff list and that Trump broke with the dress code at Pope Francis's funeral. Jeffries entertained cognitive decline as a possible explanation but suggested Trump could just be lying. 'We know that this is someone who has spent a lifetime lying in every aspect of his life, and he lies seamlessly,' Jeffries said. 'And, so, you just wonder whether the other explanation is that some of this is just his willingness to try to consistently lie to the American people.' The Hill has reached out to the White House for a response. Earlier this month, White House physician Sean Barbabella reported that Trump 'remains in excellent health' after his annual physical exam. Barbabella said Trump also scored a 30 out of 30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a test commonly used to detect memory issues or cognitive impairment. Trump — who repeatedly accused Biden of declining cognitive abilities — suggested he took the cognitive test partly as a dig at the former president. 'Overall I felt I was in very good shape. Good heart. A good soul. Very good soul,' Trump told reporters earlier this month. 'I took — I wanted to be a little different than Biden. I took a cognitive test. I don't know what to tell you other than I got every answer right.' Trump is set to turn 79 in June. He will be 82 at the end of his term, which would make him the oldest person to hold the office by just a few months over Biden when he left office in January. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Jeffries: ‘Fair' that Americans are questioning if Trump is ‘actually fit'
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said on Tuesday he thinks it's fair for Americans to be questioning whether President Trump is 'actually fit' to be commander-in-chief. 'Trump spent the last year-and-a-half questioning the cognitive ability of President Joe Biden, notwithstanding many of the legislative accomplishments that Donald Trump could only wish he got over the finish line,' Jeffries said in an interview on 'The MeidasTouch Podcast' on Tuesday. 'And so, I think it's fair that a lot of Americans across the country that I run into are questioning whether Donald Trump is actually fit, at this point, to be able to carry out the duties of the United States of America, in terms of being the president and the commander-in-chief,' the Democratic leader continued. Jeffries was responding to host Ben Meiselas's question about whether 'more needs to be discussed about his [Trump's] cognitive abilities' after 100 days in office. Meiselas cited as a basis for his question several examples of seemingly untrue or exaggerated comments Trump has made: from suggesting that he's already made 200 trade deals — when, Meiselas said, 'there's not 200 countries' — to 'saying he's having conversations with world leaders, and these conversations are not happening.' Meiselas also pointed to the fact that a group of islands inhabited only by penguins and seals was on Trump's tariff list and that Trump broke with the dress code at Pope Francis's funeral. Jeffries entertained cognitive decline as a possible explanation but suggested Trump could just be lying. 'We know that this is someone who has spent a lifetime lying in every aspect of his life, and he lies seamlessly,' Jeffries said. 'And, so, you just wonder whether the other explanation is that some of this is just his willingness to try to consistently lie to the American people.' The Hill has reached out to the White House for a response. Earlier this month, White House physician Sean Barbabella reported that Trump 'remains in excellent health' after his annual physical exam. Barbabella said Trump also scored a 30 out of 30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a test commonly used to detect memory issues or cognitive impairment. Trump — who repeatedly accused former President Biden of declining cognitive abilities — suggested he took the cognitive test partly as a dig at the former president. 'Overall I felt I was in very good shape. Good heart. A good soul. Very good soul,' Trump told reporters earlier this month. 'I took — I wanted to be a little different than Biden. I took a cognitive test. I don't know what to tell you other than I got every answer right.' Trump is set to turn 79 in June. He will be 82 at the end of his term, which would make him the oldest individual to hold the office by just a few months over Biden when he left office in January.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Charlie Sheen Got Compared To Donald Trump Again — But This Time There's A Compliment
Jon Cryer might consider backing his 'Two and a Half Men' co-star Charlie Sheen if Sheen were to somehow challenge President Donald Trump for political office. Appearing on 'The MeidasTouch Podcast' Wednesday, Cryer walked back his earlier comparison of Sheen and Trump while expressing his ongoing distaste for the current commander in chief. 'To be clear, as many of the issues that Charlie faces, I do think he'd be a better president,' he quipped. 'So ... I don't know that it's fair to completely lump the two of them together.' Cryer made his headline-making assessment of Trump in 2016, when the future president was still a first-time candidate. Watch a clip of Jon Cryer's 'MeidasTouch Podcast' chat below. 'I have been pointing out, and I have been screaming to the rooftops, that Donald Trump is the Charlie Sheen of politics,' the actor said during an appearance on the 'Never Not Funny' podcast that year. 'I love Charlie Sheen, I loved working with him when he was sober, but ... he's full of shit. He has been full of shit, he has serious addiction. His addiction is obviously serious ... but Trump is just addicted to feeling important.' In his 'MeidasTouch Podcast' chat, Cryer clarified that any similarities between Sheen and Trump were simply in their communication styles ― at least at the time when Sheen was experiencing drug and alcohol addiction. 'The thing I was pointing out was that, at the time when I made that comment, Charlie was still just going off and saying whatever stupid 'tiger blood' comments he was making,' he explained. 'And Trump has always been comfortable with saying whatever stupid thing he said, because people wrote him off as harmless and didn't hold him responsible for those things.' Cryer and Sheen portrayed brothers Alan and Charlie Harper, respectively, on CBS's 'Two and a Half Men' when the series premiered in 2003. While on set, Sheen and series co-creator Chuck Lorre famously clashed. In 2011, Sheen was fired from the show following its eighth season. When the show's ninth season premiered, the character of Charlie Harper was said to have died, with actor Ashton Kutcher joining the cast in the newly written role of billionaire Walden Schmidt. In recent years, Cryer has shrugged off the suggestion of a reunion with Sheen, despite the latter having been more outspoken with regard to his experiences with addiction. In 2023, Sheen told People he'd been sober for six years. 'There was just instant evidence that this was the side I needed to be on. I couldn't be in denial about it anymore,' he said at the time. 'I'm proud of the choices that I've made and the changes I've made to live a life today that will never look like that mess. That was some alien version of myself.' Megyn Kelly Slams Barack And Michelle Obama's 33-Year Marriage Rosie O'Donnell Shades Ellen DeGeneres For Suddenly Getting Political Michael Bublé Jabs Trump Over Canada Threats Without Even Using His Name
Daily Mail
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Charlie Sheen's co-star makes astonishing claim about President Trump as he calls them both 'addicts'
Jon Cryer is standing by his 2016 claim that Charlie Sheen, 59, would be a better president than septuagenarian Donald Trump, 78. Cryer said that if he had to choose between his Two and a Half Men co-star and the current occupant of the White House, he'd choose Sheen to have control over the nuclear codes. The Pretty in Pink actor, 60, made the comment when Trump was running for president the first time. 'I have been pointing out, and I have been screaming to the rooftops, that Donald Trump is the Charlie Sheen of politics. 'I have to tell you, I love Charlie Sheen, I loved working with him when he was sober, but he was, he's full of s***. He has been full of s***, he has serious addiction. His addiction is obviously serious, drugs, but Trump is just addicted to feeling important. But now, he's explained his comment during an appearance on The MeidasTouch Podcast. Sheen would say 'whatever came to the top of his head' and 'people loved it,' Cryer said in 2016. 'And they loved it even more when he said horrible things.' 'To be clear, as many issues as Charlie faces, I do think he'd be a better president' than Trump, Cryer said on the MeidasTouch podcast Wednesday. 'What I was pointing out was that, at the time when I made that comment, Charlie was still just going off and saying whatever stupid tiger blood comment he was making,' Cryer explained. 'Trump has always been comfortable saying whatever stupid thing he said because most people sort of wrote him off as harmless and didn't hold him responsible for those things.' And it was Trump's harmlessness at the time that prompted the comparison Cryer made between Sheen and Trump. However, nine years later, he has a new spin on it. The current president's 'allure to the people who like him is that he just says whatever stupid thing he's thinking. They say, "Well, that's him being authentic." 'But he's always been like that old guy at the end of the bar who thinks he knows how the world works, but he's really kind of a loser.' Cyer continued: 'He'd still be a better president than Trump,' the actor said, slightly amending his earlier comments. 'I don't know that it's fair to completely lump the two of them together,' he added during Wednesday's podcast. In January, Cryer managed to shock Bill Maher with his liberal rhetoric about the so-called 'disgusting' reason Kamala Harris lost to Donald Trump. The Two and a Half Man actor joined Maher's Club Random podcast where he claimed Trump won the election because Republicans 'hate Black women and trans people.' The HBO host - who recently unloaded on liberals and Democrats in a high-profile interview -initially gave his prognosis on why Democrats lost. 'I warned everybody about Trump, and then I warned them that I warned them about what would get him reelected, which was stupid wokeness, which is what got him reelected,' Maher said. Cryer interjected, suggesting it was a lot of things and that 'wokeness' was only 'maybe part of it.' After Maher responded by suggesting there was polling to prove his point. Cryer argued the election result was due to inflation, which he said 'Americans hate.' The comic acknowledged that inflation 'certainly was part of it' when Cryer unleashed on him. 'They hate inflation. They hate riots and they hate Black women. And they hate trans people,' Cryer said. Maher, aghast, said: 'God, Jon, we're not going to-' when Cryer interrupted him, saying that Republicans 'spent hundreds of millions of dollars' advertising against those issues. Cryer persisted, saying those hundreds of millions of dollars went to 'demonizing trans people and that's disgusting.' Maher had enough, saying: 'Yeah. We shouldn't talk politics.' The actor was in agreement there, saying: 'Okay, we shouldn't. I mean, great. I don't, we don't have to.' Maher then suggested he would like to 'deprogram' both people on the right and far left, suggesting a new showed called 'Deprogramming Duckie' in reference to Cryer's character in Pretty in Pink.
